Site of the Battle of Xinkou

Site of the Battle of Xinkou

The Site of the Battle of Xinkou is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism attraction.

Highlights: In 1937, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China, under the principle of "ceasing the civil war and uniting against foreign aggression," the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang established a united front. In October 1937, to resist the Japanese troops advancing southward along the Beiping-Tongpu Railway, the two parties fought valiantly and eliminated over 20,000 enemy soldiers within 23 days, achieving a major victory against the Japanese.

Located 25 kilometers north of Xinzhou, it serves as the northern gateway to the city. As early as the Han Dynasty, this area was an important military defense stronghold.

The Site of the Battle of Xinkou is situated 25 kilometers north of Xinzhou and acts as the northern gateway to the city. As early as the Han Dynasty, it functioned as a crucial military defense base. The Battle of Xinkou was one of the fiercest battles in which Chinese forces resisted the Japanese invasion. In early October 1937, approximately 30,000 troops from Japan’s North China Area Army’s Itagaki Division marched directly southward toward Taiyuan. Under the shared principle of "ceasing the civil war and uniting against foreign aggression," the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a united front. To resist the Japanese troops coming down along the Beiping-Tongpu Railway, both sides fought valiantly and wiped out more than 20,000 enemies within 23 days, marking a major triumph in the fight against Japan. This battle severely dampened the arrogance of the Japanese military, shattered their ambition to "conquer China within three months," and greatly boosted the morale of the entire nation in resisting the invasion. The Battle of Xinkou stands as one of the most successful examples of coordinated guerrilla and positional warfare between the CCP and KMT forces.

The site stretches 1,000 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west. Today, over 50 caves dug during combat with Japanese forces remain, along with the No. 204 intense battlefield area, where war relics are still occasionally discovered. Except for some collapsed caves, the majority are well preserved.

On October 7, 2019, the Site of the Battle of Xinkou was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Xinkou Village: Xinkou Village is backed by hills to the west, faces the Hutuo River to the east, and lies in the northeastern part of Forty Li Solitary Mountain. It has more mountainous than flat terrain and is located 50 li north of the county town. To the east, across the river, it neighbors Sandjia Village and Yuhui Village in Dingxiang County; to the south, it is 2 li from Shihaozi; to the west, across Jinshan Mountain, it is 10 li from Wangjiazhuang in Yuanping City; and to the north, it is 2 li from Hongyawan. In ancient times, it was called “Goose City,” and because it was the hometown of the treacherous minister Tu’an Gu from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was also referred to as “Tu’an Gu City.” (Note: Tu’an Gu was a notorious villain in the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period. Due to the profound influence of the Yuan Dynasty playwright Ji Junxiang’s zaju play “The Orphan of Zhao,” later adapted into numerous operatic versions…) More details about Xinkou Village ++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units